The Ride of His Life
by Varinia
Summary: When Dally takes Soda on the ride of his life, will he be able to survive it? COMPLETE!
1. Something New

_**Something New**_

**Soda's POV**

The whole gang was sitting in our living room talkin' about the rodeo that was back in town. Dad use to take the whole gang to see it, even after Mom and Dad died we continued to go. Dally and I were the only ones who ever participated in it, but we all went to see it. Two-Bit and Steve were sittin' on the couch talkin' about different things that had happened at the rodeo. Like when me and Dal, both won at the rodeo a few years back and so on.

"Hey, Soda. Why don't you and I go down there and sign up?" Dally asked me giving me one his big reckless smiles.

"All right, sounds good to me," I said as I got up began to walk to the door.

"Soda, please think about it before you sign up for that mess again and make sure you get back before too long," I could hear Darry say to me as we walked out the door. Dally and I hopped into Buck's T-bird, which Dally had so called 'borrowed' again, and went on our way.

"So, what do you plan on riding this year, Soda? Please tell me not them same old saddle broncs again," Dally said giving me a look.

"There ain't nothin' wrong with ridin' broncs, Dal."

"No, I never said there was. But real men ride bulls." He never could let this go. Every year when the rodeo came to town, I always rode the saddle broncs and he always rode the bulls.

"Why do you ask me this every year?"

"Cause I know that sooner or later you'll get tired of it and give in," Dally said with a laugh.

"I can't. Darry would kill me if I rode one. He doesn't even want me to ride the broncs. It took a lot of persuasion on my part last night, just let me ride the broncs. And I don't want to look forward to get my hide tanned for it either."

"Oh, come on, Darry ain't that bad. Tell you what. I'll deal with Darry and you worry 'bout dealin' with that bull you're gonna git," Dally said with wolfish grin.

"All right, I give in. But only this time. Okay?"

"I hear ya. Don't worry you won't regret it. After one 8 seconds on a bull. You'll want to do it again and again."

"We'll see about that."

It wasn't long until we pulled into the rodeo's parking lot and went to sign up for this weekend's grand opening.

"Name and event, please?" the man at the check in counter asked us.

"Dallas Winston. Bull riding."

"Thank you. Here's your vest and number, you're to be here at 5:45 to draw your bull," the man said handing Dally the things he'd need.

"And you?"

"Sodapop Curtis. Bull riding," I said, waiting for the man to make a remark about my name, but it didn't come.

"Thank you. Here's your vest and number, you're to be here at 5:45 to draw your bull," the man said to me handing me my things, and giving me a polite nod.

"Well, we're all set for tomorrow and you're goin' to ride your first bull."

"Don't rub it in. Come on, we need to head back before too late or Darry'll have my hide."

We both jumped into the car and took off down the road. Dally was telling me about past rodeos he'd ridden in and about how to stay on.

"You gotta make sure that you keep your freehand up, cause if you touch the bull they stop the clock. And if you do get hung up, you've got to stay on your feet."

"What do you mean, hung up?"

"If you get thrown off away from your hand, sometimes your hand gets caught in the bull rope. All you gotta do is stay on your feet until the rodeo clowns get your hand out."

"Wait, are you telling me that my life would be in the hands of a clown! I can't believe I let you talk me into this. Has it happened to you before?"

"No, but I've seen it happen to other people. Don't worry Soda. Everything will be okay. You'll probably get a little bull anyway."

"You'd better hope so," I said as we pulled in front of the house and walked up to the door.

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_I hope you like the idea. This chapter wasn't that good and rather short, but I promise it'll get better. It's hard to get it started and I know Soda's a bit out of character. And yes the book said that both Soda and Dally did rodeo. That is how I got the idea. Plus sometimes I watch the PBR (Professional Bull Riding). Also a side note due to my last story. Not everything has to be real, if you don't like it, don't review it unless you got constructive critism, it's a very simple solution, use it. So please review and thanks for reading._


	2. Not That Easy

_**Not That Easy**_

**Dally's POV**

"You won't believe this," I said to the gang as me and Soda walked into the Curtis' living room.

"Dally," he hissed, giving me a look of annoyance.

"What happened this time?" the oldest of the Curtis' asked, rolling his eyes at us.

"Soda's going to try and ride a bull at the rodeo this weekend."

"You're what?" Darry shouted at Soda as he jumped up, out of his chair.

"I thought it would be tuff to try something different for a change," Soda argued defensively.

"So you think it's tuff to get your brains scattered around by a crazy bull. Soda, what are you thinking?"

"Darry, calm down. I ride the broncs every year, what's the difference? I don't see why you gotta make such a big deal about it."

"Make a big deal about? I'm sorry if you think that I'm making a big deal about the possibility of you losing your life!" Darry screamed at him hysterically. "Do you even care about what could happen to you?"

"Darry, I know what I'm doing. It's my life, I'll do what I want with it," Soda replied calmly. "I can take care of myself. I'm going to ride a bull, that's all there is to it. You're the one who always told me to try something new and I am, whether it's something you like or not. But I hope you'll come anyway."

"Fine! You want to get yourself hurt or even killed, then go ahead, ride the bull. But if you get hurt, don't come crawling to me!" Darry shouted and walked to his bedroom to think about what had just taken place.

"Well, that went well," Soda said sarcasticly.

"Oh, he'll get over it. He's never had a problem with me doin' it," Dally said with a big smirk creeping across his face.

"Well you ain't exactly his brother either," Two-Bit pointed out, glancing at both of us from we he laid on the couch.

"Maybe not, but as much as he's here, you'd think he was," Steve said, joining into the conversation.

"Very funny, Steve. But I see you more here than anywhere else."

I knew that we all really spent alot of time here at the Curtis'. Johnny and Steve weren't exactly wanted at home. Two-Bit's house was usually completely empty, except when his mom finally got home from work. And me, I don't got anywhere to go unless I go to Buck's for the night or somethin'. So in truth the gang is just one big family. I know that's what it's been to me. Almost immediately, I began to think back to my father and the abuse I'd suffered under his hands. That's where I learned to look out for myself and not to get close to anyone, cause you'll only get hurt. But somehow I had let my guard down and let myself get close to the Curtis', as well as the rest of the gang.

"Dally, do you really think Darry will get over it?" Soda asked interrupting my reverie.

"Yeah, eventually."

"What exactly am I suppose to do until then?"

"Just try and live life as normal as possible and avoid him."

"Good luck, Soda. Because that's pretty near impossible," Pony piped in. "You've seen how much trouble I've gotten in with him, no matter how hard I try to avoid him."

"Thanks for the encouragement, little brother," Soda replied sarcasticly. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

Somehow in the back of my mind I couldn't help but think that Pony was right. It's not going to be as easy as we thought it would. I know that Darry's only trying to protect him, but he won't be able to protect him forever. No one can be protected from everything. I know that for a fact, because one way or another reality is going to get a hold of you and bring you to a screeching stop. It just goes to show that nothing's easy, and sometimes you have to learn the hard way. Like I did.

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_Sorry about taking so long to update and it not being that long. I've been busy with homework, and studying for my driver's liscense. And I'm sorry if Dally got a little out of character at the end. Don't worry you'll find out later about his past. Hope you liked this chapter and I hope to update sooner than this time, but can't guarantee anything. Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 1: virgil-t-stone, JamesDeanismygod, TWbasketcase, Hahukum Konn, ChandlerLover, forgottonletters, and StringynKel._


	3. The Big Day

_**The Big Day**_

**Steve's POV**

The remainder of the week was a total drag. You could feel the tension in the Curtis' house as soon as you even walked in the room. But even though Darry had finally said that he was fine with Soda's decision, everyone knew that he really wasn't. But today was the day that would either prove Soda or Darry wrong.

"Steve, you want to come early with us to the rodeo? We're gettin' ready to leave as soon as Two-Bit can get his butt over here," Soda said to me while getting the gear he had been given together.

"Yeah, sure. But let me just say that Dally isn't allowed to drive, if I'm going to go with you," I said remembering the last time Dally drove us somewhere, trying to drive with no hands.

"Hey, watch it! You're just as good a driver as I am," Dally protested.

"That's what they all say," I said trying not to roll my eyes at him.

"Hey-hey," Two-Bit said as he entered the house. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah, you bet we are," Soda said slightly annoyed. "We've been waitin' for you all morning,"

"All right, let's go then," I said, before grabbing the keys out of Dally's hand. "But I'm driving."

It didn't take us long at all to get to the rodeo grounds. We parked around the back of the stadium to the reserved parking for participants and followed Soda and Dally back behind the bucking chutes.

"Soda, over here. We need to draw our bulls over here," Dally said pointing to where all the other riders were going. The two of them soon disappeared into the room along with the rest of the riders .

It wasn't long at all before they came out, each carrying a slip of paper in their hand. A few guys sarcastically mumbled a 'good luck' to Soda before continuing on their way. Two-Bit gave me a funny glance, but I just shrugged it off.

"So, how was the draw?" Two-Bit asked still curious about what those guys meant by what they said to Soda.

"Well, I drew the big galoot of a bull, Smokeless Wardance and Soda, here, drew the wild, rambuctious, Bodacious," Dally said grinning from ear to ear.

"What's so wrong with that?" I asked noticing Soda's grimace when he heard his bull's name said.

"Let's just say that Soda's got his work cut out for him. Bodacious is one of the most dangerous and difficult bulls on the circuit."

"Thanks, for the reassurance, Dal. And aren't you guys supposed to be meeting Darry right about now?" Soda asked looking the clock hanging on the wall above them.

"Oh man, that's right!" Two-Bit exclaimed. "Let's go Steve."

The two of us mumbled 'good luck' and hurried off to go meet the rest of the gang. We soon found them over by the concession stand, stocking up for the night on sodas and popcorn. Darry was awfully quiet, caught up in his own thoughts, while Pony and Johnny were goofing off. By the time we got to our seats the rodeo had begun. They had the parade of all the participants and sang the national anthem, then of course the real stuff started. The barrel racers came first, followed by the bronc riding, which preceded the long anticipated bull riding. We watched as the first few bucked off and ran to safety as fast as they could. But when one rider got thrown off with his hand stuck in his bullrope, you could see the fear etched in Darry's face. A few riders later Soda was up, but before the chute gate opened his bull reared up, back on top of him. In one swift movement Dally pulled him off the bull and back to safety. Before Soda got back on to try again, ropes were placed above the bull to keep it from happening again. This time the chute gate opened and Soda, on top of the feared and dangerous bull, Bodacious, entered the arena.

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_I know I'm getting worse every chapter when it comes to updating. These first few chapters have been hard for me to get going and aren't very good at all. I promise the rest will be a lot better. And the thing with the bull rearing on Soda, I've seen happen before and usually their buddy is there to help 'em off. If you want to know where I'm going with it check my profile an outline is on there. Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 2: Hahukum Konn, virgil-t-stone, and karlei shaynner._


	4. When Fears Become Reality

_**When Fears Become Reality**_

**Darry's POV**

The ride started out well. Soda was matching Bodacious move for move. But when the bull threw a straight buck, forcing Soda forward, and threw his head back, connecting with Soda's face, we knew it was over. Instantly I was on my feet trying to make my way to him, but Two-Bit and Steve held me back. Pony just sat there, frozen in disbelief, Johnny trying to comfort him. We continued to watch in our fear and disbelief as Soda was dragged around the arena, his hand still caught in the bull rope. The rodeo clowns were doing all they could to free his hand, but it was no use. What surprised us even more was when Dally jumped over the chute gate and into the arena, with his blade out and in his hand. We watched as Dally half-way jumped on the bull and tried to cut the bullrope to free Soda's hand. How he managed to do it while that bull kept bucking, I'll never know, but I thank God he did. As soon as the tension was gone from his hand, he slumped to the ground, his face covered in blood and appearing to be unconcious. Not knowing what else we could do, we watched as a medical team entered the arena and with Dally's help, loaded him onto a strecher. As soon a they left the arena we hurried out through the side entrance to find out where he was being taken. But before we could ask anyone, we saw Dally and the Medical Team carrying Soda around the corner. However, as we ran towards them we were stopped by a man, who appeared to be an official.

"I have to ask you to wait until we can get this young man into the ambulance, before I can let you pass," said the officer, still standing between us and Soda.

"Sir, I don't think you understand. That man, is my brother!" Darry said, emotion seeping through every word.

"Darry, I thought you'd never get here," Dally said pushing passed the man. "They're with me. Those are his two brothers and our friends," he said to the guard, who reluctantly moved aside. And I could no longer resist the urge to rush foreward to the stretcher carrying my younger brother. I grabbed his hand and held it as if it was the only thing keeping him here, paying no attention on the extent of his injuries.

"Take it easy, sir. You can ride in the ambulance, just let us get him set first," one the Medical Crew said to me, his dark brown eyes full of pity.

"Okay," I said, letting go of Soda's hand, but never taking my eyes off him. "Two-Bit, can you take the guys to the hospital, I'll meet you there."

"Darry, do you think he's goin' be all right?" Pony asked with his voice wavering.

"I'd don't know, Pony. I just don't know," I said, turning back to the gang, when Soda was no longer in my sight.

"We'll go ahead and get going. See you there," Two-Bit said trying to get Pony and Steve, as well as the rest of the gang, started in the other direction.

"All right, sir," the man who had spoken to me earlier said. "We're ready to go. Watch your step and sit on the bench on the left side."

"Thanks," I said, quickly making my way to where he had pointed me out to go. I quickly hopped up on the bench, and watched as the paramedics prepared my brother for the quick ride to the hospital. It wasn't long at all before we started down the road. The siren was blaring as the ambulance began to make it's way toward the hospital.

"We've got a seventeen year old male with blonde hair and brown eyes. He has yet to gain conciousness since the accident. Seems to be suffering from what appears to be severe facial fractures, bleeding profusely from the face, arm appears dislocated, and possible leg or hip fractures. Vital signs appear normal, but he seems to be going into shock," one of the paramedics said over the radio to someone at the hospital. It was then that I realized that he was worse off than I thought. While I had always tended to my brothers and the gang, I've never seen anyone this bad off, even before I heard th extent of his injuries. Even now that they've cleaned most of the blood off his face. I can see he has more than a few facial fractures, and it scares me. I honestly have never even thought it probable for someone's face to hit something so hard so as to make one's face appear literally flat. I told him not to do it. i told him he'd get hurt, but he didn't listen. What I had feared would happen became reality. In time I knew he would heal, but for some reason I had a feeling that we would have a long road ahaead of us. Not only that, but one of the only things Soda was really proud of about himself was gone. While to some it may not really matter, but to Soda that was a different story. How would I tell him or how would he be able to handle it? Maybe, I'm wrong. Maybe he'll won't really care, but either way, he's got a hard road ahead. We've all got are a hard road ahead. He took the risk by riding, and it was just his luck that it all went wrong. But once Soda's made up his mind he won't change it. So now we live with our fears in reality.

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_I hope this meets everyone's expectations. I got the idea for it from PBR because this really happened to a guy, Tuff Hedemen on a real bull called Bodacious. I wrote a summary of what really happened to him on my profile. Also, I'm sorry Darry got a little out of character, it's hard for me picture Soda and Darry's relationship. If anyone has any pointers or ideas let me know. I kind of know where I'm going with it but wlecome and ideas and such. I try to update as soon as I can. Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 3: Hahukum Konn, Trachy, Karlei Shaynner, melchick, and forgottenletters._


	5. It Happened So Fast

_**It Happened So Fast**_

**Pony's POV**

I walked as if walking in a dream, with Two-Bit's death grip on my arm guiding me in the right direction. We all knew that Soda and Dally were taking a risk by riding, but we never thought it would actually happen to one of them. Our world's had been turned upside down within minutes. Seeing Soda being tossed around like a rag doll, killed me and watching Darry's expression made it even worse. By the time we got to the car, we probably looked like the sorriest group of people you could find. Not only that, but the car ride seemed to take hours, and was filled with an eerie silence. However, when we got to the hospital, time couldn't have gone any faster. We found Darry holding his head in his hands in the waiting room, tears running down his face.

"How is he? Is he gonna be okay?" I asked, as we rushed over to take a seat next to my oldet brother.

"I don't know, Pony. He looks pretty bad, and lost a lot of blood. On the way here they were saying that he had a bunch a facial fractures, possibly a broken leg, and dislocated shoulder. I don't know what to think about it. I knew it looked bad, but I didn't think it was this bad."

"Has he woke up, yet?" Two-Bit asked, concern etched in his voice.

"No, not so much as a stir," Darry answered, letting the tears fall even more. For the next several hours we sat in silence, waiting impatiently for the doctor to tell us how Soda was doing. When we finally saw the doctor approach us, we froze in fear and in expectation of the news he was about to tell us.

"Which one of you is the guardian of Sodapop Patrick Curtis?" he asked with a sad expression on his face, as if he dreaded telling us what was going on.

"I am, sir. How is he? How's my brother?" Darry asked, trying to control his voice, but not doing a good job of it.

"Your brother is in critical condition. As you may have overheard from the paramedics on the ride over here. He has extreme fractures to his face, which once he has recovered enough, we can operate to try and correct the structure of his face that was damaged when the bones were shattered. He also dislocated his shoulder, which we have already set and bandaged to hold it in place, and will remain sore for quite sometime. Neither his leg nor hip is broken, just extremely sore and swollen. However, his ankle took quite a beating and has a good sized fracture. We went ahead and put it in a cast and want to keep it elevated for a few days. He also sustained a few broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung. There was no major damage and we were able to get his lung reinflated, and his breathing stablized," He said, sypathy showing through his eyes when he looked at us. "He'll have a hard road ahead of him, but he's strong and I'm sure he'll pull through. I haven't told him about his injuries yet, because I think he'll take it much better hearing it from you. However, I have to ask you not to let him have a mirror or anything that will show his reflection quite yet. The impact from that bull's head had so much force that it literally made his face appear flat. I'm afraid that if he sees his reflection to soon he won't have the motavation it takes to recover from all this."

The doctor's words hit us all hard. We all knew how much Soda depended on his looks to get the girl as well as to charm his way out of anything. It was just the way he was. The fact that all this could be changed because of that one ride is unimaginable. I mean how can something like that change so fast? But Darry's voice brought me back to the present before I could dwell on the matter anymore.

"Can we see him?" he asked, his voice shaking, but his tears now dried up.

"Yeah, he's in room 302 on the left side. He should wake up soon if he hasn't already."

Not wasting anytime, we thanked the doctor for his help and hurried to the room we had been directed to go to. As we entered Soda's hospital room, we all were taken back a bit. His face was swathed in bandages, and there was a criss cross bandage going across his shoulders and another one wrapped around his chest. His ankle was suspended in a cast slightly above the bed and his eyes were closed, giving him the impression of being asleep. His face was so pale that it took on a grey hue and upon hearing us enter the room he opened his eyes and attempted to smile at us, but the pain was too much for him. Darry and I sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at him intently not knowing what to say or do. It was just so hard to see Soda laying there so helpless like that. He was always the one so full of life, the one who could barely sit still for a second. I know that he will be able to heal eventually, but the scars and the memory won't ever go away.

"Hey, sorry it took so long," Dally said as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. "I got here as soon as I could. How's you doin' Sodapop?"

"Could be better," Soda managed to say between gritted teeth.

"Where were you?" Darry asked Dallas accusingly. "You were suppose to meet us here hours ago."

"Darry," Soda whispered pleadingly, but said to soft to be heard

"I got here as soon as I could. I had to finish my ride."

"No, you didn't. Soda could've been killed and you didn't even bother to find out if he was really okay!"

"Darry, calm down. It's not that big of a deal. I rode my bull and I'm here now."

"No, I'm not going to calm down and it is a big deal. You're the one who talked him into this mess and you didn't even bother to find out how bad he was hurt! We're suppose to look out for each other, that's what friends do."

"Darry, you know I didn't mean for anything to happen and I didn't mean to upset you by sticking around for my ride."

"That's the problem, Dal. You never mean for anything to happen, but it always does. This time it's gone too far."

"Okay, I get the drift," Dally said, looking at all of us with downcast eyes. "You take care of yourself, Soda. See you around," he said looking back at us one last time before walking out the door that just a few minuted before he had walked in.

"Darry, you shouldn't have said that," Soda managed to say, barely above a whisper. "It wasn't his fault. It was mine, I chose to ride the bull. I chose . . . ," he said, but didn't have the strength left to finish what he was gonna say.

We sat there in silence, not knowing how to react to what had happened. As I looked over at Darry's face, I knew he felt bad about what he had said, but the events of today had put a lot of stress on us all, Dally had just showed up at the wrong time. Hopefully, Dally can forget about what was said. Hopefully, we can all forget about what happened today and pick up our lives right where we left off, but I know that won't happen. Everything happened so fast, I just wish it could be over just as quick.

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_Once again I'm sorry for the long update again. I know everytime I say I'll get better, but I only seem to get worse. But with Christmas and our choirs trip to sing at Disney and learning to drive and fly at the same time, my scheadule's been pretty hectic. Hopefully this time it will be quicker, but I can't promise anything. Hope you liked the chapter, I wrote it on the long bus ride from Virginia to Florida, but I'm no doctor so I can't guarentee that much is correct. If you have any suggestions let me know. Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 4: Hahukum Konn, Karlei Shaynner, RangerDan, virgil-t-stone, forgottenletters, and Emma._


	6. Just Our Luck

_**Just Our Luck**_

**Johnny's POV**

I never thought that something like this could happen. Darry said that Soda would get hurt, but I never thought he'd be right about it. I mean, how could everything be going so good and then all of a sudden get so bad? Dally rides the bulls every time and he never gets hurt. Soda's no novice either. He always rode the broncs at the rodeo and always came out on top. It just seems that bad things always happen to greasers. It's like it's just our luck.

"Hey Johnny," Dally said as he walked up the driveway smoking a cigarette, to where I sat on the porch steps of my house. But his gaze didn't stop at me and went on to where my parents where once again fighting relentlessly.

"How's it goin', Dally?" I asked him,as I watched his gaze once again fall on me, his eyes full of a kind of sad emptiness.

"Good, I guess. What you doin' hangin' around here, anyway?" Dally asked me, knowing how bad it was for me here at home.

"I dunno, I just didn't want to go over to the Curtis' with Soda in the hospital and all. I know they're all worried and I don't want to get in the way."

"Oh, come Johnny, you know they would never think that. We're family, the best family you got," Dally said looking me straight in the eye. "Tell you what. Why don't you go get Pony and the three of us can head over to see Soda and then go catch a

movie or somethin'?"

"Yeah, okay," I said rising to my feet and beginning the quick walk from my house to the Curtis'.

It didn't take long at all to collect Pony and begin walking to the hospital, where Soda was being held. However, we began our walk in silence. We were only a few blocks away from the hosptital though, when the silence was finally broken.

"Dally, you know Darry didn't mean what he said last night. He was just upset. We all were," Pony said trying to make conversation, but mainly trying to make him understand that Darry hadn't really meant to come across like he had, by blaming Dally for the whole thing. But just as I knew Dally would, he denied what Pony said putting the blame on himself.

"No, Pony. Darry was right. I shouldn't have let him ride, but I did. It's my fault Soda's in that hospital. My fault that this happened," Dally said as he stopped and turned to us and looked us straight in the eye, his own eyes a stone cold blue. "But I can't change what I've done. I can't make Soda better, or take away his pain. I screwed up big this time, and I'll never be able to forget it."

"Dally, don't. It wasn't your fault. Quit blamin' yourself, man," I said, hoping that he really would listen to us, even though I knew he wouldn't.

"No, you just don't understand. You don't understand."

"Dally, man, come on. You know . . ."

"Can it, Johnny. Why can't you just leave it be? It's my fault, okay? Just leave it alone already. Why can't you just understand that it's my fault and that's all there is to it," Dally said angrily, before starting to walk on again, clearly frustrated with us both.

Pony and I paused for a second and looked at each other, sharing the unspoken decision that if we valued our hide, we wouldn't bring the subject up to Dally again. So we quickly quickened our pace to catch up with Dally and continued on our way to the hospital in silence. It wasn't long after that, that we got to the hospital and began making our way to Soda's room. He gave us half a smile as we walked through the door and greeted us quietly.

"How you feelin' Sodapop?" Dally asked, as he sat on the edge of the bed, while Pony and I pulled two chairs up.

"Could be better. I'm just ready to get out of here. Doc says I gotta stay here for atleast a week or more. Says I busted up my face and my leg real bad," Soda said, refusing to look any of us in the eye. "He's bein' givin' me morphine and stuff for the pain, but it don't help much."

"I'm sure it'll get better some time soon, Soda," I said when I noticed the look of guilt and dispair that came across Dally's face once more. "Is there anything we can get you? You gotta be bored sittin' up here with nothin' to do."

"No, I'm good. I just watch the T.V. when ever I'm not sleeping or have guests", he said motioning towards us.

"Look Soda, I'm sorry 'bout all this," Dally said quickly getting off the bed and turning to face Soda, his eyes almost sorrowful. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't . . . I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Dally, no. It was just an accident. It wasn't your fault . . . ," Soda tried to tell him, but he just went off on all of us even worse than he had earlier.

"No, Soda it is. Why can't any of you understand? It's my fault you're hurt. My fault that you were almost killed. You wouldn't have been on that bull if it wasn't for me. I got you in this mess, and look at you now. You're sittin' in this hopital bed with a busted up leg and a smashed up face."

"Dally, stop it," I said to him, trying one last time to make him stop and calm down. But he didn't listen. He just walked shiftlessly around mumbling unintelligible words while I talked, and then suddenly slammed his fist hard into the white wall of the hospital room.

"I can't do anything right! Anything!" Dally yelled. "You don't deserve this, Soda. It should be laying there, not you. Darry was right, all I ever do is screw things up," he said as he turned to walk away, but as he looked back at us I could have sworn I saw tears forming in his eyes.

We all knew Dally was going to blow sometime, but it didn't make it any easier. We tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he just won't listen. He's Dallas Winston and he's never goin' to put the blame on anyone but himself. Especially after what Darry said last night. On the outside he looks cold and mean, but if you know him like I do he's just the opposite. He's just all scared and mixed up inside, trying to run from his past. I just hope that we can make him see the truth, that it wasn't his fault at all, but just an accident. Sometimes it seems that it's just our luck that somethin' bad always happens to us. Just our luck that bad things always seem to happen to us greasers.

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_Well, I've haven't had any time to write lately let alone any ideas when I do. And I promise to try to bring in more stuff about Dally's past soon. But if anyone has any I really need some ideas, I had it all planned out but don't think it's gonna work like that anymore. I know Dally got a bit out of character and the ending wasn't so good, but I rewrote that part so many times, just can't seem to get it right. Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 6: SpotlessLadybug, Karlei Shaynner, Blakes, forgottonletters, jinxyknockonwood, lae10 and TheMushroomComander (guess we'll have to see how well you hypnotizing works. won't we)._


	7. Wish Things Could Be Different

_**Wish Things Could Be Different**_

**Two-Bit's POV**

Everything has changed so suddenly. We were all shocked that Soda got hurt like he did. It hit all of us hard. Not only that, but Darry's words to Dally only made it worse. The only good thing about any of this so far is that Soda's injuries aren't as bad as we first thought. A couple more weeks in the hospital and possibly a surgery on his face was all that laid ahead. Pony was still real shook up about it though, so he and Johnny spent mot of their time visiting Soda, whenever Darry was at work. But Dally's been takin' it awful hard. He's been jumpin' Socs a lot more than he ever has before. We haven't even heard from him, since he blew up at Johnny and Pony at the hospital. I just wish things hadn't gone this way and that it could all be different. But I know it never will.

"Hey Two-Bit, good to see you out and about. How's Soda doin'?" a greaser, named Brent, called out to me as I passed by the Dingo.

"Better than he was. He'll get out of the hospital in a week or so," I yelled back to him and continued on my way. I wasn't goin' anywhere in particular, just tryin' to pick up a few girls and maybe a few beers.

It wasn't until I was almost at the drive-in that I noticed a figure of a man crouched over, sitting on the curb, highlighted by a single streetlight against the night sky. I approached him when noticed that the clothes were definetly that of a greaser's and wanted to make sure that the guy was all right, and hadn't been jumped. But it wasn't until I got pretty close that I noticed that he wasn't just any greaser, but one of our own. It was Dallas Winston. He had a handful of empty beer bottles at his feet and was completely, if not overly, drunk.

"Dally?" I asked him questioningly. "You all right?"

"Hey Two-Bit. What are you doin' out this way? You wanna a few beers or what?" Dally asked me with the effects of the drinks slurring all his words together.

"No, thanks, Dal," I said, knowing that if Dally was ever to get to a room at Buck's tonight, I would need to keep sober in order to get him there. "Hey, why don't we go over to Buck's place, you look like you need some sleep?"

"Two-Bit? Have you ever wondered if anyone would notice that you're gone when you die?" he asked, starring back at me with his steel blue eyes.

"Sometimes," I said wonderin' where he was going to go with this. "It's not so easy bein' a greaser, is it?"

"No, but have you ever felt like people would be better off if you're dead? Like you'd be doing them a favor. My old man use to tell me how he'd be better off if I was. Guess, I screwed up bad this time, and I ain't got a way to fix it. I never meant for Soda to get hurt. I guess my old man was right. All I ever do is screw things up. He use to tell me that my mom left because of me, and would always yell at me and slam me up against the wall. The older I got the worse things got at home. he always found somethin' to blame on me whenever he got drunk and he'd hit me over and over again until he passed out or until the pain was too much much for me and I'd conscienceness. It was real bad, you know?" Dally said staring out at nothing.

"I'm sorry, Dally," I said, not knowing what else to say, remaining in utter shock. "I had no idea."

"No one did. I remember one night when I came home real late and he was sitting in his overstuffed chair looking at me and you could see the drink in his eyes. Before I could even shut the door behind me, he jumped on top of me. He pinned me to the ground and was yellin' at me, but I couldn't understand him cause his knees were digging so hard into my chest that I had to spend all my concentration on breathing. When he finished yelling at me he started hitting me like he always did, but with more power and intent. I tried to protect myself the best I could and continured to call out for him to just stop . . . to just stop it. But he wouldn't stop," Dally said barely above a whisper, his whole body appeared to be shaking uncontrolably. "He pulled his knife out of his pocket and started threatening me with it. I started kicking and screaming for someone to help me, and somehow finally mangaged to get out from underneathe of him. I stood up and put my back to the wall as he came at me with the knife. I tried to jump to the side to aviod it, but it cut me anyway," Dally continued, tracing a line down his left side, as if reliving the incident. "I remember being consumed by the pain from the knife and the beating combined that I hadn't noticed him striking out at me agian. I didn't have time to move out of the way. He stabbed me high in the chest and I felt as if I was going to die. But when he came back at me again, I figured I had nothing to lose and threw myself at him. We rolled on the ground together, both of us fought for control of the knife. But he was so drunk that when I got control of it, I stabbed him in the heart when he made a move to take it back from me. But as he was dying the only thing that came out of his mouth was a string of curses directed at me that came continuously until he was dead. That's why left. I knew, I couldn't stay there anymore. I just ran from the house and collapsed in an alley a few blocks away. Someone must have called an ambulence cause I ended up in the hospital for a few weeks. But when I got out I took a one way trip out of there. That's how I got here. That's the real story behind the old Dallas Winston," he said, the drunkness creeping back into his voice.

I was stunned. None of us really knew Dally's background, other than the fact that he had come to Tulsa from New York City. He is tough and cold, and always in trouble with the law. I never thought about something like that ever happening to Dally or anyone for that matter. No wonder he's so cold, he had to kill his own father in order to save his own life. I just hope he doesn't get upset that he told me, if he even remebers that he did. But right now the thing for me to worry about is getting Dally over to Buck's.

"You ready to go over to Buck's place now?" I asked him, unsure of how to go about this.

"Yeah," he said standing up and almost tripping over one of the empty bottles.

"Okay, just watch where you're walkin'," I said, putting my arm around his waist to steady him.

"You know, he never told me he was sorry for any of it," Dally said shuffling foreward again. "Not once."

"I'm sorry it happened," I said, but wondering even more about why he had never told us.

"I wish it hadn't. You guys are the only family I've ever really had. But it looks like I screwed that up too."

"No, you didn't. Darry might be a little upset right now, but he'll get over it."

"How do you know he will? What if he doesn't? I got no where else to go."

I didn't know what else to say. Everything has changed so suddenly. I just want it all to stop, but there's no way it can. But I couldn't help but think about Dally and what all has happened to him.

It didn't take us much longer to get to Buck's. I knocked on the door hard, hoping that someone would hear us above all the noise and music. It was Tim Shepherd who finally decided to answer the door.

"Hey Tim, give me hand with Dally, will you?" I said to him, more as a command than a question.

"Sure," he said as he put one of Dally's arms around his neck and placed a supportive arm around Dally's waist. "What the hell happened to him?"

"I guess you could say he had one too many beers for one night," I said as we began to carry Dally inside and upstairs to the bedroom he usually claimed as his own. We laid him down on the bed and got him situated. It was only a matter of minutes before he was sound asleep. Tim and I stepped out of the room to talk and shut the door behind us. I tried to explain to Tim what all had happened without telling him what all it was we talked about. I thanked him for his help and decided to head back home, my interests in girls and beer for the night was ruined the conversation I had with Dally. I couldn't get rid of the pictures in my mind of what Dally had told me. I just wish things could be different. I just wish things wouldn't be this hard. But it never will.

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_Wow, I was actually able to update on time. Just had the idea all planned out in my head and had to write it down before I forgot. And sorry if Dally and Two-Bit got a bit out of charcter. Once again, thanks forgottonletters for helpin' but I decided to kind of combine the two ideas so that Dally had to kill him. Did you like it? Well, thanks again to everyone who reviewed Chapter 6: Maddiecake, jinxyknockonwood, lae10, silverstagbeauty, forgottenletters, and Al-luvs-Kitties02._


	8. A Shattered Reflection

_**A Shattered Reflection**_

**Soda's POV**

I can't wait to get out of here. I never have been able to sit still and I really don't care to learn how to, right about now. I know Pony and Johnny usually come by everyday for a bit, but that doesn't make up for all the long hours I have to sit alone in this hospital bed with absolutely nothing to do. Not only that, but the pain from my leg and my face is always constant. The doctor keeps tellin' me it will go away in time, it just needs to heal first. They still give me a bunch of painkillers for it, but it doesn't help much. I'm just sick of all of this. I want all of it to be over already. What makes me feel even worse is that Dally is blaming himself for all of this. It doesn't help anything that Darry blamed him for it to start with. I just don't understand why he can't see it as my fault. My fault that I'm in this mess. I chose to ride that bull, he may have suggested it, but I didn't have to listen to him. But not only is all this going on, but every time I say anything about a mirror or my face, all the gang freezes up on me. Sometimes I just get the feeling that they're hiding something from me. Like they're not telling me everything I need to know. It hurts me to think that they're hiding something from me, even though I know they don't mean to.

"Hey Soda," Ponyboy said as he and Johnny walked into my room as they usually did.

"Hey guys. What's up?" I asked wondering how long they would stay today.

"Nothing much. We might catch a movie tonight or go to the Dingo or something."

"Sounds like fun," I said, thinking about how much I really wished I could get out of this place and back to the things I've always done before.

"Yeah, we wish you could come with us."

"I know, me too. But at least you got Dally and Two-Bit to go with you guys."

"Dally's gone, Soda," Johnny said, barely above a whisper. "Two-Bit was the last one to see him and that was a three days ago."

"What do you mean he's gone?" I said, quickly tuning into the conversation. "Where would he go?"

"We don't know. We've asked around, but nobody's seen him," Pony answered me, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Have you asked Shepherd?"

"No we haven't seen him around to ask him," Johnny replied, almost sounding aggravated with himself.

"He'll probably show up at Buck's next big party," I said, silently hoping to myself that he would.

"I hope so Soda. I really do," Johnny said looking at me with those sad eyes.

"Yeah, but we all know that Dally can take care of himself if anyone can."

"You're right. So anyway, how are you doin'?"

"Good," I said, wondering if I should bring up the mirror I've been askin' for, for the past week and deciding that I should at least take the chance. "Hey Pony, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Could you get me the mirror that's on the dresser over there for me?"

"I don't know, Soda," he said, looking around the room with a clear uncertainity about what to do. "Why do you need a mirror anyway? Ain't like there's goin' to be anybody by that you need to impress."

"Very funny, Pony," I said with annoyance. "Will you please either hand me the mirror or I'll just get up and get it myself."

"Oh, come on Soda. You know you can't even get out of bed for a few more weeks yet."

"That never stopped me before, Pony."

"I don't understand why you need to see a mirror so bad. I'm sorry Soda, but I can't give it to you."

"Why the hell not?" I demanded. I'd had enough of this for today. I was tired of asking for a mirror just to be ignored. I knew that it was too soon for me to get up, and I knew it would hurt pretty bad, but I was tired of playin' games like this. So I pulled the covers back and started to get up.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Johnny asked, sounding almost horrified that I was actually attempting to get up.

"You won't give it to me, so I'll get it myself," I said between gritted teeth as I swung my feet over the edge of the bed. Pain shot up through my chest as I struggled to breathe and my ankle felt like it was on fire. Pony and Johnny didn't really think I was goin' to do it, but as soon as I finally managed to stand up, they rushed over to me. But before they could get me to sit down again I fell and took down everything that was laying on the nightstand with me. The vase that had contained a few flowers came crashing down on my shoulder, causing me to scream out in pain. It was only out of the corner of my eye that I saw a nurse enter the room with a shocked expression on her face.

"What happened?" she asked as she came over to kneel beside me.

"He tried to get the mirror and we didn't have time to stop him before he fell," Johnny said with a slight quavering in his voice.

It didn't take long for the three of them together helped me get back into the bed and the nurse gave me a shot of some kind of painkiller to help my shoulder. But no sooner than I had settled down again, the nurse and the doctor appeared outside of my room talking about something that I couldn't quite make out. This time the doctor entered the room along with the nurse. He quickly checked my shoulder that was still bandaged since it had been put back into place as well as taking a look at my ankle.

"You need to be more careful about getting up, Sodapop. You could've have set yourself back a few weeks if that fall had been any worse. And what's this I hear about you wantin' a mirror?" the doctor asked me like he was askin' to a small child.

"I just want to see a mirror. I know I hurt my face bad and I want to see just how bad it really is," I said more aggravated than I had been in a long time.

The doctor only nodded his head and motioned for the nurse to hand it to him. "Just keep in mind, Soda, that your face won't always look like this," he said before he handed the mirror to me.

I took it in my hands feeling both anxious and afraid. I looked into that mirror for what seemed like eternity for me. I hardly even recognized myself. There were stitches running in jagged lines all over my face in all different directions. My high cheek bones that people always told me made me look a lot like my dad almost seemed flat looking. Big bruises of black and blue still sported my face and a variety of sizes. I looked like some monster out of Frankenstein. What would the girls think of me now? I'll never be the handsome one anymore. Why didn't the gang just tell me? Didn't they know I would find out sooner or later? I don't understand how this could be happening to me. What did I do wrong?

"Soda, look at me," Pony said takin' the mirror out of my hand and grasping both of my hands in his. "Everything is still goin' to be alright. You're okay and that's what matters. The doctor here has even found someone who's willing to fix your face up for you. You just got to get better first."

"Please, leave me alone. I really don't want to talk to anyone right now. Please just go," I said feeling that I would soon be unable to hold back the tears much longer. I watched as they slowly filed out and Pony and Johnny gave me a glance of goodbye, with their own tears appearing in their eyes.

How had things gone so wrong? All I had done was ride that stupid bull. Now I am seriously scarred for life. What did I do to deserve this? Did I cuss too much or not do enough good things? I don't understand how this can be happening. Pony said that, that guys could fix it but can he really. I know my face can never possibly be the same again. Even if it was I won't be able to forget about it. It's shattered my reflection, both inside and out. I don't know if I can ever possibly look at things the same. I just don't know what I'm goin' to do. It's all changed, so fast. Too fast.

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_Sorry 'bout the long update. I had a major writer's block and no time to write during the plus I had to transfer it over to the new computer. Hope this chapter makes up for it. I'll try to be a lot better about updating but I got a lot of papers to write for school this year, but I'll do the best I can. Any ideas for the rest of the story let me know, but please no romance stuff I like to write stories more about the guys stickin' together and stuff like that. Thanks to those who stuck with me and reviewed Chapter 7: lae10, forgottenletters, silverstagbeauty, and dallylover1990. _


	9. No Where To Turn

_**No Where To Turn**_

**Dally's POV**

Everything in my life has changed so fast. I never meant for anything to happen. But now I am to blame for Soda being in the hospital. I don't know if I can ever face up to him again for what I did. I can't even face up to the gang for it. To make things even worse, I vaguely remember telling Two-Bit about my old man and everything that happened back there in New York. I don't remember everything I told him because that night is a blur to me. But I do know that I told Two-Bit about how I killed him. I don't really remember why I told him about that, more than likely it was just the booze talkin' through me. He must have got me back to Buck's somehow because I woke up there the next morning to probably the worst hangover I've ever had. I haven't seen Two-Bit or any of the gang since then and have been sleepin' at Buck's and on the streets since then.

"Hey Dally," Buck said as he knocked on the door of the room I often claimed for myself. "You getting' up soon?"

"Yeah, I'm up. What do you want?" I asked him as I pulled a shirt on and opened the door.

"The people from the rodeo called for you. They said you gotta pick up your winnings by this afternoon or they're keeping it. Oh, and do me a favor and quit giving people my number," Buck said with a smirk. "I'm tired of answering for you."

"Yeah, I hear you," I told him as I brushed passed him and continued on downstairs. But it wasn't until I had my hand on the door to leave that I heard my name called again, but this time it was Shepherd.

"Dally, wait. I need to talk to you," Tim Shepherd said, putting a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"What do you want Shepherd? If you're looking for who slashed your tires again, you'd better check with that brother of yours."

"Very funny, Dal. But that's not what I'm here for," he continued as I turned around to face him.

"All right. Let's talk over there," I said motioning the grungy couch that stood in the corner.

"Now I know you're not going to want to hear this, but I told Pony and Johnny that I'd talk to you about it, so you had better just sit down and shut up," Shepherd told me as he shoved me down into the couch. "Those two came to see me the other day lookin' for you. They want you to go back and they want you to stop by and see Soda . . ."

"No, Tim. I can't do it. I can't go back, right now."

"Oh, come on Dally. You're tougher than that. Everybody knows about what happened to Soda, but they also know that it wasn't your fault. You need to quit blaming yourself Dal."

"How do you know that I wasn't to blame?"

"Because no one can make Soda do anything he doesn't want to do. You need to just suck it up. The only one that's blaming you is yourself."

"What about Soda? Who does he blame?"

"Pony and Johnny wanted me to talk to you because they want you to come back. Soda isn't mad at you, but they did tell me that he's upset that you took off."

"I'm sorry Shepherd, but I can't do it," I said as I pushed past him and out the door.

I quickly walked away from Buck's and towards the fairgrounds where everything was still set up for another upcoming rodeo. It did not take me long at all to get to the ticket booth and collect my winnings.

"Hey Dally!" I heard Kevin call out to me. "Everything goin' okay? Brent told me about Soda."

"Yeah, it's all good," I said walking away, hoping that he'd take a hint.

"Well, is he doing any better?" he asked me.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him."

"Why not? I thought you two were close."

I could not believe he had just said that to me. Before I could even say anything in response, I swung around punching him so hard in the face that I could've sworn that I broke his nose. I took off towards Tulsa General Hospital, not waiting for him to get up because I did not want to cause more of a scene than I already had.

"How may I help you?" the little lady at the front desk asked me when I walked through the door.

"I'm here to drop off a payment for Sodapop Patrick Curtis."

"Okay," she said holding out her hand while she searched for Soda's name in the computer.

I dug out the envelope that contained my winnings from my ride and placed it in her hand. There was no way I could've kept the money after everything that's happened. This was the only thing I could figure to do with it, since Soda wouldn't have had medical bills to pay if it wasn't for me.

"Sir," the lady said to me in a concerned voice. "Here's your bill with the remainder of the payment. Are you going to be okay?" she asked me as she gave me the piece of paper.

"Yeah, but could you tell me what room he's in real quick?" I asked, before I even thought about what I had let slip past my lips.

"Okay," she said turning back to her computer. "He's in room 218, up the stairs and to the hallway on your right."

I followed her directions, ending up in that long white hallway again. I hadn't been back at the hospital since the day I had come with Johnny and Pony and flipped out on everyone. And I wondered as I got closer to Soda's room, if things could ever be the same again. But I knew as soon as saw Soda again laying it that hospital bed that it never would. He was stretched out on the bed asleep with a look of pain etched on his face. Not being able to steel myself to stay any longer, I quickly left the building and headed towards the vacant lot. I didn't realize I was being followed until it was too late.

"Hey greaser!" I heard a Soc yell from behind me. "You look like you need a bath."

"I'm not the one that is dressed for a flood, ape-face," I sneered at him, trying to push all the thoughts of Soda out of my head.

"You'd better watch your trap greaser," he said before nodding to his friends that now surrounded me. "Get him!"

In an instant they all jumped before I even had a chance to defend myself. I had lost my blade the last night during a fight with one of Shepherd's boys. I kicked and tore into them as they wrestled me to the ground. Dallas Winston does not go down without a fight. But their five to my one, soon had me pinned to the ground for my stamina had run out. The Soc that had threatened me earlier came over and knelt down beside me, but not before pulling out his switchblade.

"You know, I think I'm really going to enjoy this," he said placing the edge of the blade on my chest.

I knew right away what he was planning to do and had no intention of letting him do it. But as I felt the blade being pressed hard against my side, I knew there wasn't much I could do to stop it. I struggled and kicked, but became numb as he ran the blade hard, up and down my chest and side several times. As I started to slip out of it, I could faintly hear the voices of the gang getting closer.

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_Okay, so it seems I only get around to updating when I get a break nowadays. Sorry it took so long. This story is a lot harder to write than my last one, so if you could give me a hand with some ideas I'd appreciate it. Otherwise I'm just going to draw it to a quick end in probably three more chapters. Next POV is Steve's and I plan to pick up with the fight, so please give me some ideas if possible. Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 8: DracosDefender, forgottenletters, nemo123489, Lilshorty9030, and dallylover1990._


	10. Discovering the Truth

_**Discovering the Truth**_

**Steve's POV**

Things have been really rough for all of us since Soda's accident. We've all been keeping ourselves busy and try to visit him everyday, but it doesn't make it any easier. The doctor says that he can go home by the end of the week, if things keep going like they are. None of us can wait for him to get back home. I think that we are really just hoping that things will get back to normal when he does. I know they never can be exactly as they were before, but maybe, just maybe, they could get close to what we had. However, it was not until the gang and I were walking back to the Curtis' full of excitement about Soda that we heard the screams that would change our perspective of everything.

"What was that?" Pony asked, looking in the direction that the noise had come from.

"Sounded like somebody screaming. That can only mean trouble, come on let's go see what's going on," Two-Bit said glancing back at us before running in the direction that the screams had come from.

When we got to the lot we were all shocked at the scene that was being played out in front of us. Dally was lying unconscious on the ground completely surrounded by Socs. There was no telling how bad he was hurt. Everyone knew that it took an awful lot to take Dallas down. We didn't even pause in what we were doing, but kept running towards them. Darry and Two-Bit were screaming trying to scare them off. The Socs took one look at us and ran, probably knowing that we would have come close to killing them if they hadn't.

"Dally! Dally!" Johnny screamed as we came closer to him. Johnny and Pony were both shaking and Two-Bit looked like he was going to cry while he swore under his breath. Darry looked confused about what he should do and I just couldn't believe what was happening in front of me. His shirt was ripped to pieces and soaked with his blood, while an opened blade covered in the same red stickiness lay discarded beside him. Darry was the first one to take action ripping open the remainder of his shirt leaving all of us gasping at the sight. There were three bad cuts that were streaming with blood, but more shocking than that was the numerous scars that covered his body. There appeared to be almost no place on his chest not covered by some sort of scar.

"We need to get him to the house. Steve, grab his arms while I get his feet," Darry said to me in a dazed kind of way. "Pony, you and Johnny go to the house and get out the first aid kit and anything else we might need. Two-Bit, try to make sure we don't run him into anything."

We didn't talk the entire way back to the house. We were too shocked by what had happened. Dally wasn't lookin' too good and had yet to regain consciousness. As for the number of scars that he had, none of us had any idea as to how he had gotten them. When we got to the Curtis' we laid Dally on the couch and began to peel off the remainder of his shirt so that we could put some stuff on his cuts. Darry and I were carefully trying to take off his shirt and as we did so, I caught sight of his back.

"Darry, look at this," I said in a shaky whisper as I took in the sight in front of me. Dally's back was covered in what appeared to have been old welts more than likely made by someone else's belt. Darry mumbled something unintelligible, but if I didn't know any better I could have sworn that he was cursing. Pony and Johnny just sat down on the floor at the end of the couch looking quite shaken up. However, it was Two-Bit that surprised us all.

"No, it can't be. It can't be true," he said over and over again. "I never knew that it was this bad. Why did he stand for it? Why?"

"Two-Bit, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. I just can't believe it," Two-Bit answered as he turned to walk away.

"Two-Bit, look at me. What happened to Dally?" I asked causing him to stop in his tracks. "I know that you know what happened. Tell us, please."

"It's not my place to tell, but Johnny and him are more a like than we thought."

With that said Two-Bit walked out, leaving us to think about what he had said. We all just sat there wrapped up in our own thoughts. I knew right away what Two-Bit had meant by saying that Dally and Johnny were more a like than we thought. He meant that Dally had been abused, whether it was by his parents or by someone else I didn't know. But as I sat there and put all the pieces together it began to make sense. If only we had known the truth, before any of this stuff with Soda had even started.

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_I finally managed a decent update time. I know it's short but hopefully it's still good it's pretty much a set up for the rest of the story. Steve was probably out of character because I find him hard to write sometimes. For those that had trouble picturing that bull riding scene I found the Bodacious video that I placed Soda in and put it on my profile. Dallylover1990, I liked your idea but I already had that part written. I plan on trying to do that later on. Jennifer, I hope this suffices because I kind of already had this scene in mind before you reviewed. Thanks to all who reviewed Chapter 9: forgottonletters, Jennifer, and dallylover1990._


	11. The Unforgiving Past

_**The Unforgiving Past**_

**Darry's POV**

So many things have been going on lately that I feel like I can't take it all in. To see the people that I've known most, if not all of my life, in such pain. Between Soda and Dally, I'm not sure which one is worse off. Why is it that people feel like they have to hide their past and who they are? If only Dally would told us what was going on. If only he trusted us enough to tell us that someone had hurt him. How could he just hide all of this from us without us even noticing something was wrong? Everything that I've said to him . . . how can I forget? How can I make Dally forget?

"Darry," Pony said peering around the corner of my bedroom. "Dally's waking up."

"Okay," I told him. "I'm coming."

I entered the living room to find the gang spread out with their eyes fixed on Dallas, who was half sitting and half lying on the couch. White bandages encircled his chest and peeked out from under the blankets we had layed on him the night before. He was beginning to stir and mumbling words incoherently under his breath that I couldn't yet make out.

". . . Stop, I didn't do anything I swear . . . Dad, please don't . . . I'm sorry . . . please," Dally pleaded barely above a whisper, shaking his head from side to side fighting something from his past.

"Dally," Johnny said softly, walking over to the couch and kneeling down next to his friend. "Easy Dally, it's okay. The Socs ain't gotcha anymore, we're here."

"Johnny?" Dally mumbled slowly coming out of it.

"Yeah, Dal, it's me," he said gently shaking Dally on the shoulder to help him wake up.

"What happened?" Dally asked, slowly opening his eyes and looking at us.

"Some Socs jumped you and cut you up real bad," I told him, not really knowing what to say.

"I figured as much," he said, trying to sit up, hissing in pain. "It hurts like hell, that's for sure. Pony, you got any super glue around here?"

"Yeah, just a sec," he said leaving the room and quickly returning with a big bottle of the stuff.

"Anyone got some scissors or a knife I could borrow to get this thing off," Dallas griped as he pushed the blanket off and tried to peal the bandages off his chest while Two-Bit walked over to him and handed him a switch blade. Dally mumbled thanks and started cutting away at the bandages, refusing to let any of us help him. We all knew better than to argue with him. As soon as the bandages came off the blood began to resurface through the cuts, almost covering his chest. I grabbed a towel and warned Dally to brace himself as I began to push down against his chest with it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. I know it had to hurt him something awful as he tried to push me off and Steve had to come over and pin him down for me. Once I got the bleeding under control again I let go and Dally layed there panting and shaking ever so slightly. The cuts were deep and beginning to look red with infection.

"Pony, undo the top on that glue and hand it to me," Dally said reaching out his hand trying to keep it steady.

"Here you go, Dal," Pony said giving it to him. "You want us to help you?"

"Sure kid, you and Johnny," he answered, handing the bottle back to my brother and motioning for him and Johnny to come closer. He instructed Johnny to pinch the cut skin close together and for Pony to go over the cut with the glue, in order to seal the wound shut. By the time they finished Dally's face was pale and his fists still clenched in pain. The bleeding that had started once again had been stopped by the hardening of the glue.

"Dally," Johnny whispered, sitting quietly on the floor beside him. "What happened? How'd you get all those scars?"

Dally looked him for a minute and then back at us before he could bring himself to answer. "Just like you. I got them just like you. The only difference was that it was my dad and he never stopped unless he went out cold. He always told me that's what I got for being such a wimp and that I needed to toughen up and be a man. Maybe he was right, Johnny . . ."

"No, Dally," I said cutting him off before he could finish. "You're the toughest hood in Tulsa or pretty close to it. You're not a wimp. No one can truthfully say that. You've stuck up for all of us a number of times, probably saved our lives too. I don't care who that man is Dal, but I know he's wrong."

"I wish you could have told him that. Not that he would have believed it. He would have just hit me again for making up a lie."

"Was he the one that scarred you up like that?" Steve asked, moving closer to Dally so he could see his face.

"Yeah, he was."

"Where is he, Dal? Is he still around? Does he try to come after you anymore?" Steve asked, his voice filled with anger not at Dallas but at the man that had hurt our friend so bad for who knows how long.

"No, he's dead. I killed him."

My mind began spinning. Dally just said he killed him. He killed his father. I was surprised enough last night to find all those scars on him, but now to find out he's killed someone. I knew he was cold and sometimes mean, but to actually take away someone's life. I know the man deserved it, but what about Dally? What if someone else found out? He'd be locked up for life if the cops find out about his past. Why does life have to be so unforgiving to us?

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I'm surprised people haven't lost interest in this yet. I try to update when I can but lately I've had no ideas on how to continue it. I know it's not the best chapter, but I hope it suffices. Please give me any ideas about what you'd like to see come out of Dally's past and Soda's situation. Sorry for the long update, but thanks to those that reviewed Chapter 10: dallylover1990, forgottenletters, mallyyishawterthanyoukthnx, Live2Read, youshi, and dorkydork101.


	12. Almost Over

_**Almost Over**_

**Pony's POV**

I can't believe that he did that. I can't believe that he killed his own father. I know he was only saving himself, but the fuzz won't care. They'd put him away just to get another greaser off the street. I don't blame Dally a bit, I only hope it won't come back to get him. I guess we can never really know someone no matter how much we think we do. We all knew Dally was cold and tough, now it all makes sense. Especially why he's so close to Johnny. He doesn't want the same thing to happen to him. All this time we never knew why. We never knew why he acted like he did.

"Dally," Johnny said softly. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't think you guys would want to be associated with a murderer," Dally spoke with his voice void of emotion.

"Dally, you should know us better than that," Two-Bit exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and moving towards him. "You're like part of our family, man. No matter what happens."

"How can you say that!" Dally shouted as he struggled to sit up. "I killed my old man, I've got a record that's longer than Shepherd's, I almost got Soda killed and now he'll have to live with those scars for the rest of his life!"

We all just looked at him, not knowing what to say. Dally was mad, but more than anything, I think he felt guilty for Soda's accident. No matter how many times we told him, he still felt like it was his fault. It hadn't helped that Darry had automatically blamed him for it, without even thinking. Now Darry paid the price for his words.

"I'm sorry Dally," my older brother whispered. "I never should have said that. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't."

"How can you say that? Look at your brother. Look at him!"

"It's not your fault."

"No," Dally said shaking his head. "It is my fault."

"Dally, please listen to me. I was wrong. It wasn't Soda's fault and it definitely wasn't yours. You didn't make him get on that bull. You're not to blame."

"He wouldn't have done it if it weren't for me," he replied with emotion lacing his voice.

"You had no idea it would happen. You didn't make that bull hurt him. It just as easily could have been you."

For an instant, I think it finally hit him. He finally realized that he wasn't to blame. That nobody was at fault. It was just an accident, simple as that. That was all.

Dally leaned back on the couch with a sigh. It wasn't a sigh of defeat, but one of acceptance. He finally believed that it wasn't his fault. He finally believed that he wasn't to blame. And maybe, just maybe, now we can move on. It's almost over I can feel it.

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I know probably the longest update out of them all as well as the shortest. I really am trying to wrap it, but I got a young horse I'm in the middle of training. I even ended up writing it at the Reagan Symposium I had to go to for Government (not that I really wanted to pay attention anyway). Hope this chapter is good enough for you. Thanks to youshi for reviewing Chapter 11.


	13. Picking Up The Pieces

Picking Up The Pieces

Johnny's POV

So much has been happening these last couple of days that my head just keeps spinning. Dally getting jumped and finding out that his dad use to beat him. I just can't believe he never told me about it. All the times he's been there for me after my parents had beat me and he never spoke a single word. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad he didn't tell, I just wish I had known. But it's too late to change things sometimes. Atleast outta all of this, Dallas has finally realized that Soda's accident wasn't his fault. He's finally back with the gang again and even went to go visit Soda at the hospital. It's finally starting to look like things might turn out okay after all. I know it may seem too soon to really tell, but I think we'll make it. But before I could continue on with my thoughts I began to hear my old man stirring upstairs and decided that it would be in my best interest to head out for the day. As I headed up the drive of the Curtis' house Ponyboy greeted me with a cancer stick in his mouth and wild eyed grin.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" I asked him, not quite sure what had him so excited.

"Soda's comin' home today," he said as he took another puff of his smoke. "The doc said he was good to go. He had his last surgery the other day. Johnny, you should see him, he looks so much better."

"I forgot that he was coming home so soon. He's been gone for so long I've almost forgotten what it's like to have him around the place."

It was true. Even though the gang went up to the hospital quite often, it didn't change the fact that Soda wasn't at home. He hadn't been working at the DX or running through the Curtis' house half naked because he didn't feel the need to put on a pair jeans. He's the life of the gang; and until he ended up in the hospital, I had never realized just how much he had made it all bearable. It would be good to have him back.

Pony and I decided to catch a few showings of Mickey on the tube while we waited for Darry and Steve to get back with Soda. They had insisted that they couldn't fit all of us in the pickup without seriously squishing each and every one of them. Pony was a little hurt that he couldn't go but I think we both understood that Steve would be more help getting his brother into the car than either of us would.

It wasn't until close to five that we heard the slight roar of the engine and then the slamming of the old truck's doors with that familiar creaking.

They were home.

Soda had his arms wrapped around each of their shoulders as they helped the bull rider into the house. Pony and I quickly scurried to stuff the couch with pillows and blankets as they lowered him onto the couch.

"It's good to be home," said Soda. "I've never been happier to see this dirt-stained walls and and a mothball of a couch."

There was no sarcasm in his voice, but rather that of sincerity. We could all tell that he was happy to be back. I'm still not quite sure who was me relieved, him or us.

"Johnny," someone whispered over my shoulder.

I turned around to see Dallas Winston peering at me from behind the kitchen wall. If I didn't know better I'd say that there were little bits of dripping down the side of his face. Not like the way your eyes water when some bastard punches you in the nose but tears of relief.

"It's alright Dal," I reassured him. "Every thing's okay, it really is this time."

I grabbed him by the arm and pulled into view. Soda's head shot up and his face crept into a smile when he recognized his old friend.

"Dally, you're here," said Soda. "I thought you'd fled to Mexico. God, it's good to see you. Even a tough old bastard like yourself is a missable."

We all had to laugh at that one even, Dally. We were all part of a family again. Back to the worries of everyday life and the craziness that always ensues. For once, I think that we we're okay. Soda would still have a bit more recovering to do before he'd be out doing back flips or riding any animal for that matter. But it was all okay. We picked up the pieces and put the puzzle back together the way it should be, with nothing missing.

It's been several years since I last updated this story so I apologize for any inconsistencies. This is the final chapter of this story as I simple wanted to try to tie up any loose ends to the best of my ability. Sorry I left you guys hanging for so long. I really appreciate it for those who have stuck with me on this story. As for comments about Soda being OOC, I based it off of what I've observed from people going through similar tough times..Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 12: IplayedInTraffic, Mahone-chic-89, the sober irishwoman and sodapoplover101.


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